Water filters are in widespread use for filtering tap water for drinking and making ice, particularly in conjunction with home refrigerator appliances. Many refrigerator units have ice makers and cold water dispensers and use a water filter between the water source and the refrigerator. Typical water filters for these applications are single stage, with the water passing through the filter to remove sediment and some of the chemicals present in tap water. Some refrigerators have filters that are mounted in a location such that they are accessible from the inside of the refrigerator, or in an access location outside the main compartment of the refrigerator.
Some refrigeration units that have become popular with homeowners are built in to the kitchen cabinetry. These units are not moveable, so a person can only access the unit in the main compartment or in associated access locations. Built in refrigerator units typically have access spaces for servicing components such as the compressor. These access spaces can also be used to house a conventional single stage water filter for filtering water dispensed at the refrigerator and for making ice.
A problem with conventional single state filters is that they typically remove chlorine, from the water. While this can improve the taste of drinking water, it is not filtered to the level of bottled water, which many people have become accustomed to drinking. Additional stages of filters, using different types of filtration, are needed to reproduce the taste and quality of bottled water. However, conventional water filters are not configured in a way that allows them to be conveniently mounted and placed in the available space provided with modern refrigerators. The lack of space in these access locations tends to preclude the installation of additional filtration stages.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.